Alabama's Heritage Mounds

EXCERPTED — from a pamphlet transcribing the speech

delivered by Judge C. J. Coley– President of the Alexander City Bank

Given 29 October, 1966 at New Site, Alabama:

“Address to the Ninth Annual Pilgrimage  of the Alabama Historical Association”

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“The Second Battle”

Soon after becoming Judge of probate of Tallapoosa County in 1946, I began to give vent to a secret desire that had possessed me for a number of years. it was my belief that the Battle of Horseshoe Bend was filled with great history, Sam W. Oliver and James W. Lovelace both of Dadeville, shared my thinking. Periodically and informally we would discuss the possibility of a properly written history and proper physical markings for this far reaching military engagement. We knew that back in 1909, a movement of this kind came into being but later lost its momentum.

We learned that others in different parts of the State of Alabama were also eager to delve into this particular phase of American frontier history. Visits to the battle field were made by many many people.

At every opportunity I encouraged newspaper columnists, magazine writes, tradepaper reporters and others of the news media to tell the story of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Roads and bridges were constructed from the main highways to the battle ground to render the area easily accessible.

On March 30, 1955, at Alexander City, Mr. Thomas W. Martin, chairman of the board of the Alabama Power Company, and I met. During our conversation Mr. Martin said, “Why don’t we do something about Horseshoe Bend?” I replied — “Mr. Martin, I have waited 10 years for you to make the statement that has just fallen from your lips. When and where shall we meet and get going?” A few days later at Mr. Martin’s office in Birmingham, he and I were joined by William H. Brantley, Jr., John Temple Graves, Rucker Agee, James F. Sulzby, Jr., and Dr. George R. Stuart, Jr.

On June 6, 1955, at the Court House in Dadeville, the following men met and incorporated the Horseshoe Bend Battle Park Association…(.)

[More to come…my typing needs practice, Will be back soon.]

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Historical Preservation is NOT an easy task — I felt this excerpted Address might enlighten us to how PRESERVATION has been accomplished with “historically significant sites” in our recent past.

— C A Abernathy